Holbox Island is a little slice of paradise, nestled off the coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. It’s the perfect destination for anyone seeking a more laid-back, off-the-beaten-path adventure. With its crystal-clear waters, powder-soft sand, and friendly locals, Holbox Island is the kind of place that feels like a well-kept secret (that you can’t wait to share with everyone). Although gaining in popularity over the past few years, some areas still look like untouched beauty. So pack your bags, grab your sense of adventure, and get ready to fall in love with Holbox Island – before everyone else catches on!
Table of Contents
- How to get to Holbox Island
- Where to stay in Holbox Island
- What to do in Holbox Island
- Where to Next?
How to get to Holbox Island
Merida to Holbox
I was traveling from Merida to Holbox as my last stop before flying back home. From Merida I took the ADO bus to Chiquila for about 350 pesos. The ride was 5 and a half hours long and went via Valladolid. I always buy the ADO bus tickets through the ADO app and pay with PayPal since US credit cards aren’t accepted.
At Chiquila, I took a ferry to Holbox. The ferry tickets can be bought near to where the buses drop you off, somewhere here. There will be someone yelling out “ticket for Holbox” along the road and they pointed me in the direction of the ticket counter. There are two ferry companies (9 Hermanos and Holbox Express) that operate alternatingly every 30 minutes. It doesn’t matter which one you take because the tickets cost the same at 220 pesos for each way. Just make sure you are buying the ticket for the ferry that is leaving at the time you plan to leave.
The ferry takes about 25 minutes to travel to Holbox Island. The island itself is fairly small and it only took me 10 minutes to walk from the ferry terminal to my hostel. They also have golf cart taxis that can take you anywhere on the island.
Cancun to Holbox
Most people I met were traveling from Cancun to Holbox. In any case you will have to take an ADO bus to Chiquila. There are several ADO buses going from downtown Cancun to Chiquila for about 300 pesos. If you’re coming from the airport you’ll have to take an ADO bus to downtown Cancun before transferring onto the bus going to Chiquila. From there you’ll have to follow the same steps as above and take the ferry.
Where to stay in Holbox Island
The hostels at Holbox Island are generally more expensive than other places in Mexico. Now that tourism has been steadily increasing to Holbox, it only makes sense that they start offering tourist prices. The cheapest and best hostel I found was Tribu Hostel. I paid about $16/night and ended up spending 3 nights in a 6 bed dorm with only one other person. It was pretty great.
Tribu hostel was a typical island style hostel. There was no air conditioning in the rooms, but each bed comes with a fan. It was very hot, but at night it wasn’t so bad. What was bad was the number of mosquitoes on the island. I also went during rainy season in July, but the mosquitoes were relentless. Make sure to bring some heavy duty bug spray otherwise you’ll get eaten alive like I was, even with bug spray. The beds were comfortable, the lockers were large, and the shared bathrooms were clean.
Tribu hostel is essentially several buildings scattered around the property. There were 2 shared kitchens, a volleyball court, and only one area with WiFi that everyone gathered around. The WiFi and cell service on the whole island is pretty terrible, so I don’t imagine any digital nomads thriving in the area. But nonetheless, the hostel is a quick 2 minute walk from the beach, so who really needs WiFi when you are in paradise. There’s also a bar on the property that hosts salsa nights and karaoke some nights.
There is also a Che hostel on Holbox Island, but it’s a bit farther out of the way and a longer walk to the beach.
What to do in Holbox Island
Be lazy and enjoy the beach
Holbox is the perfect place to be a beach bum. You got island paradise, beautiful beaches, the sun, and tons of lounging spots. I’m pretty sure I spent almost 85% of my time here in my bathing suit. There are several spots along the beach to drop down a towel and relax. The sunsets are amazingly beautiful too, be sure to catch it every day! There are also several beach clubs along the beach, here are a few to recommend:
- La Carolinda Beach Club
- Hotel Zomay’s bar and restaurant
- Las Nubes Beach Club
Punta Cocos Bioluminescent bay
Holbox has it’s own bioluminescent bay! Although, I wasn’t able to go there at night to see the glowing waters, I have heard mixed reviews on the actual bioluminescence of it. First of all, if you plan to make the 45 minute walk to the bioluminescent bay, be sure to wear pants and a ton of bug spray. The mosquitoes are wild around there. There are several tours that take you kayaking or swimming in the bay that you always have the option of taking.
I walked here by foot during the day time. It’s pretty to walk here except for a few areas that are blocked off by private hotels. I started along the beach right behind Tribu Hostel. From there I walked along the beach for as far as I could. There was a private hotel around here that had the beach blocked off, so I cut through some trees to get onto Calle Caguama. I walked along the road until I hit the intersection of Calle Cornuda, which I then turned back onto the beach. I walked along the beach and passed a dock, a restaurant, and finally made it to the bay.
It’s a very nice secluded beach with plenty of privacy. It was very peaceful to have the area mostly to myself minus a few people here and there. When I was ready to head back, I walked back the same way I came.
Punta Mosquitoes
This is one thing you HAVE to see if you are in Holbox. Punta Mosquitoes is part of the nature reserve near Holbox Island and the walk over the sandbanks is absolutely beautiful. I woke up very early one morning and started my walk over around 7am from the Tribu Hostel. First, I began walking along the beach and then switched over to the main road called CP Kuka on Google Maps. I walked that road all the way to the end past Las Nubes hotel and some other expensive looking hotels. Eventually I walked through some trees and back onto the beach. By then I could see the sand banks out in the middle of the beach so I figured I’d walk on that instead. I made my way across in waist deep water and finally made it to the sand bank.
From here on, the walk was absolutely beautiful. I was walking far out from shore on these seemingly random sandbanks, and the turquoise water was just brushing up against my toes. I continued walking along the sand banks until I reached the beach and a sign saying that area was a protected area. From that point, I turned around and started walking back. All in all it took me about 4 hours, but I also took A LOT of time taking photos and relaxing on the beach.
I’d highly recommend making this walk early in the morning. It does seem to get a lot more crowded later in the day, and the sun does beat down harder around midday. I saw a lot of birds, some crabs, and even some small fish swimming around. This is something I HIGHLY recommend you do if you are visiting Holbox.
Where to Next?
From Holbox, I made my way back to Cancun to fly back home. And that was it! Three months in Mexico almost felt like three years.
Where to next? This is something I’m constantly asking myself. While my adventures across Mexico came to an end, I was ready to start preparing for my next adventures in Europe!